Anyone familiar with pornography should know that a large category within it involves the abuse of women. Scenes of violence are often rationalized in pornographic films. To some extent, the suffering of women can arouse sexual excitement and pleasure.
The biggest problem with Pain Porn, in my opinion, is that it rationalizes the pain of women, and in turn rationalizes the behavior of those who cause pain to women.
From my perspective, the core of Blonde and pain porn are extremely similar, just varying in the degree of nudity. Both are centered around gazing, repeating and exploiting female pain. The problem with doing this is that it does not direct people's attention towards empathizing with women who suffer, or focus the camera on the abusers and oppressors, guiding the audience to reflect on how this pain is produced. Instead, it carries a voyeuristic attitude, rationalizes female pain, and simplifies women's personalities.
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Of course, I know that there are many movies about tragic characters, but even when portraying human suffering, creators often use more ink to show the three-dimensionality of male characters. For example, heroic struggles and the unyielding fight against tragic fate, internal conflicts sparked by external experiences, and so on.However, when creating tragic female characters, this dimensionality often disappears. The character's autonomy is greatly weakened, and they become a painful existence that is played by fate or oppressed by authority.
For example, Marilyn Monroe was portrayed as a fragile, neurotic woman with serious daddy issues who would collapse and give up on herself if she couldn't get a man's true love. She seemed like an empty shell, filled with sadness by men and those in power, eventually breaking apart and walking towards death.
Women's pain is often seen as normal and background to women's lives. This is because we live in a culture that sees women's pain as normal and men's happiness as a right. Female celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana are always focused on their traumas. It can be said that this obsession has become a form of pain porn. Women's pain is romanticized rather than understood and becomes a form of popular entertainment and capitalization.
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To put it bluntly, this kind of romanticization is similar to depriving women of their right to say no in pornographic films. When a woman's pain is seen as normal, she loses the ability and right to resist the pain. The perpetrator's responsibility is shifted, and they become invisible in the narrative.
Just like the male lead in adult films from East Asia, they stand in a safe and blameless position to watch the pain of women. When a woman says no, it means yes, and she is unable to express her resistance truly.
Furthermore, in this fascination with women's suffering, women are inevitably dehumanized and objectified once again.
Women's fate is treated as a kind of scenery, even a spectacle, presented in the mass media. For example, women are always seen as neurotic, hysterical, and born for love. Without the love of a father or a man, their lives will be shattered, either destroyed or driven crazy.
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So, in a sense, the popularity of strong female leads and older female characters in recent years in film and television is a reflection of a natural instinct among women to rebel against narratives that portray women as suffering and in pain.
We are tired of the pain of women being presented as a spectacle in the media. Whether happy or sad, women need to express their voices clearly and independently, not just cry or moan in abuse.
As an example, I think the 2007 biographical film "La Vie en Rose" is better than "Blonde". "La Vie en Rose" also uses a lot of montage techniques to depict the tumultuous life of Piaf. Even though Piaf's childhood was also unfortunate, and she ultimately died prematurely due to losing her loved ones and drug addiction, the film does not define her life as a tragic one. There are many moments in the film where she remains powerful despite being broken.
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Presenting the true appearance of women's painful fate and voicing their true voices is especially important for female audiences and female creators. Because when women begin to master storytelling, we will see the image of the tragic female protagonist being overturned.
For example, in the TV series "The Glory", there is a scene where a woman who is a victim of domestic violence smiles happily in front of the female lead. The female lead is surprised and the woman says, "You didn't expect someone like me to be happy, did you?"
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Actually, this scene is written very cleverly. In the drama, there are many descriptions of Auntie's life beyond her suffering, such as the joy of learning to drive and some lighthearted and interesting interactions with the female lead. These descriptions do not diminish our sympathy for her experience of domestic violence, but instead add to her complexity, making it easier for us to empathize with her. In other words, she is no longer a pitiful sight, but a living, breathing person.
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Another example comes from a TV show that I really like, "Mom". This show tells the stories of several women who have various life problems through a comedic approach.
Remember in Season 7, there was a plot where Temmy and Bonnie went to visit their former foster family caregiver. After many years, Bonnie accidentally learned that her good friend Temmy became an orphan because her father killed her mother. On the way back, Bonnie kept thinking about what to say to Temmy, but found it difficult to speak up. Temmy noticed that Bonnie had learned about her story and candidly said that it was okay, and that Bonnie didn't have to say anything.
After two minutes of silence in the car, Temmy smiled and said, "My mom's smile is so beautiful." Bonnie, who had been worried, also laughed at this moment.
This plot really moved me, I even cried when I read it. It's not because Temmy's story is so miserable, but because it seems to be the norm for women's lives as I understand it.
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Hardship or vulnerability cannot define women or a woman's life, because we are not objects to be manipulated. There are many moments in our lives that go beyond misery. Some can be called moments of laughter, and she seeks friendship, love, and the strength of those around her in times of hardship.
As female audience and readers, when we see stories like this, we can strongly empathize and also feel a kind of power.
We have souls and are individuals, unlike the women in Pain Porn who are merely empty shells waiting to be filled with emotions and objects, to be disposed of by fate and others.
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I have always believed that we have the ability to resist when facing pain. Beyond pain, life still has moments worth looking forward to. When shooting a biographical film, creators have a responsibility to present the authenticity and multi-dimensionality of the character, rather than just catering to the fascination, exaggeration, and distortion of women's pain.
click here to Why are mass media always obsessed with female pain(1/2)
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